


Samhain

by Jacqualine



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Halloween in the Victorian Era, Samhain, Shirbert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27310993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacqualine/pseuds/Jacqualine
Summary: The kids of Avonlea celebrate the Celtic festival of Samhain.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	Samhain

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one off I wrote on a whim. It's short and doesn't have a ton of shirbert.

Diana Barry had been given permission to host a Samhain party, on the evening of October 31st. There would be jack o'lantern carvings, apple bobbing, feasting, parlour games, and of course a bonfire to dance around. Diana looked so regal, she was wearing a beautiful dress and her mother let her borrow her tiara again, in Anne's eyes, Diana was the epitome of a royal princess. For her costume, Anne had spent the last days of September, gathering the fall flowers that still clung to bushes and stalks, she had further dried them out and glued them to an eye mask Marilla had sewn for her, she didn't have a truly fancy dress to wear, so she just wore her church dress and let her hair flow freely down her shoulders, she hoped she looked like an Autumnal forest spirit. Not that she noted or cared but Gilbert came dressed as a pirate, he even had an eye patch.

They carved their jack o'lanterns out of pumpkins and turnips, Cole having the best and most realistic looking one, the maniacal look in it's eyes gave Anne chills. Jane won the apple bobbing contest. After gorging themselves on a hearty stew made of the freshly harvested vegetables, served with warm fluffy dinner rolls, roasted nuts, pumpkin pie, fruit tarts and hot apple cider, they decided to play the parlour games. 

"This one will tell you how long you will live." Diana told them in her spookiest voice. They each took half of a walnut shell and one at a time, set them adrift in a large shallow pot of water. The longer your shell stayed afloat, the longer you would live. Moody looked positively green when his shell sunk immediately. Gilbert clapped him on the back and told him not to worry himself over silly party games. 

"Peel your apple without cutting the peel, if you have a long enough piece, you throw it over your shoulder and the shape it lands in will reveal the first initial of the person you will marry." Tillie instructed them all. Anne's piece fell in a lump that didn't look like a letter to her at all. In the end only a few of the peels resembled anything. Ruby insisted hers was a G and looked at Gilbert longingly. 

Next they decided to play the final game outside, close to the bonfire. The boys were given a ball of yarn and instructed to go into the woods, unwinding as the went. The girls would pick up a piece of wool and follow it to the boy on the other end. If you were a love match, it was your chance to declare your love. Anne watched Cole choose a bright yellow ball of wool and decided to grab his yarn so that there would be no awkward moments when they met up at the end. She giggled as she slipped into the woods, climbing over fallen logs, circling trees three or four times where Cole had wound the yarn. When she got to a stand of three rather large trees, she followed the yarn around the base of one to find someone who was not Cole. 

"Gilbert Blythe!" She exclaimed loudly. "What are you doing here?"

"Playing a game." He answered with a grin. 

"Where is Cole? I know I saw him with this colour wool when the game started. "

"Whenever we bumped into someone, we switched yarn." He told her. "We knew you girls were going to watch for the colours. I got this from one of the Pauls. Here." He held out an apple for her.

"What's this for?" She asked him, her eyes narrowing as she studied him.

"Just giving the girl who found me a gift. You don't have to be so suspicious. Sorry, that I am not Cole." His face turned hard as he clenched his jaw.

"Wait I'm..." She didn't understand why he was so mad, she slipped the apple in her pocket. "Cole is one of my best friends."

"I get it. Let's get back." He turned to leave and she followed him, unsure why he was suddenly so angry with her. 

At the bonfire Moody played his banjo while they waited for all the others to return, and then they danced and jumped and twirled circles around the bonfire. Until Mr. Barry came out and told them it was time to go home. The boys walked home, Mr Barry drove the girls home in a large wagon, ensuring they all arrived safely. Diana went along for the ride, sitting next to Anne and whispering to her as the other girls giggled and recounted the night. 

"I don't understand why Gilbert was so mad that I was expecting to see Cole." Anne said to her. 

"It's not Gilbert to show anger." Diana said to her. 

"I know, even when I am cross with him, he never seems to get angry back. And I do realize I can be quite vexing." Anne admitted. "He did give me this though." She showed Diana the apple. 

"Anne!" Diana gasped. "Remember? If a woman looks in a mirror, while eating an apple on Samhain at midnight, the face of her true love will be revealed to her."

"Oh Diana, you know I am too plain to be anyone's true love." Anne dismissed the idea.

"You are not, I hope one day you will realize that. Promise me you will do it."

"Okay I promise." Could there be someone for her? Perhaps there was someone who could overlook her red hair and freckles.

She read in bed until it was time to eat the apple. She stood in front of the mirror, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, whispering the words "Reveal my true love" over and over again before biting into the apple. It was the perfect combination of sweet and tart, and so juicy it ran down her chin and she had to wipe at it with her arm, but she continued to eat the apple, never taking her eyes off the mirror.

Suddenly there was a ghostly shape in the mirror, the form of a man starting to come into view, as though he were standing behind her in the room, his back to her. He was tall and broad, his hair appeared to be dark. "Who are you?" She whispered, goosebumps breaking out over her entire body. His head lifted up, as though he heard her question and he slowly turned around, and she froze. In the mirror was a perfectly handsome, dashing, romantical figure. He was wearing a dark suit, with a grey tie, the white shirt he had on under practically glowed in the candle light. In his hand was a bouquet of flowers, a bright and cheerful mixture of wildflowers, and a ring, a small gold band with an green stone set in it. His eyes held hers, dark and soulful, eyes that shone with genuine love and admiration...for her. His lips were curved into a dazzling smile, one that revealed dimples and white teeth. He was older, perhaps ten years older than she was, but she knew that face. It was Gilbert Blythe, he was her true love. the vision disappeared. Leaving her alone in her room, desperately trying to deny the happy soaring feeling that her heart was experiencing. 

"You've got to be kidding me." She growled.


End file.
